Silicon Valley Pride, a More Humble Celebration Than San Francisco's

Published Aug 29, 2016 at 12:51 PM

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A diverse community came together for the festivities of Silicon Valley Pride parade over the weekend, waving flags and celebrating the LGBT culture. (August 28, 2016)

San Francisco's annual gay Pride weekend is loud, boisterous and grabs national headlines.

Silicon Valley Pride is nearly the opposite of that.

The San Jose-based festivities over the weekend brought together a diverse group of community members who were involved in the parade, despite its late summer date. It's the second time the parade and festival have been held, with a seven-year hiatus in between, Silicon Valley Pride CEO Thaddeus Campbell said.

The smaller, more family friendly event, is designed that way on purpose, he said.

Pride festivities like San Francisco and Santa Cruz Pride are held during June – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride month – and usually compete for the same crowd. But Campbell said he believes that by moving the parade later in the year, the celebration of the LGBT identity lasts beyond the traditional Pride month.

“Pride is not limited to one month and it should be celebrated throughout the year,” Campbell said. He also said he was fully aware that if San Jose held a Pride weekend at the same time as San Francisco, more people would likely trek to The City.

The tone of Silicon Valley Pride is also a bit different - and more subdued - than the crazy, and often raucous celebration in San Francisco - the birthplace of the country's gay rights movement. San Jose organizers really try to make the event good for family members of all ages.

“That is one of the things we definitely emphasize," Campbell said. "It’s not like your normal Pride parade – gays and lesbians have families, we’re able to legally adopt and so forth, so we want to make sure we can include family."

There were many who brought their families to a Pride event for the first time on Sunday, and found it not only to be an educational experience, but a fun one, too.

“It’s great! It’s quiet and you know it’s my son’s first Pride experience so it was a good choice to bring him here to San Jose as opposed to maybe San Francisco,” explained a parade attendee.